Victims demand action as Vatican abuse panel gets down to work

c. 2014 Religion News Service

VATICAN CITY (RNS) As Pope Francis prepares to address the new Vatican panel charged with tackling the clergy sexual abuse scandal, victims are demanding the Catholic Church take immediate action to expose perpetrators and punish the bishops who protected them.

The Vatican’s new commission for the protection of minors, led by Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, is designed to show the pope’s personal commitment to confront the sex scandals that have shaken the church in the U.S., Ireland, Germany, and elsewhere around the world.